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Do you have lip sync issues with Xbox 360 HD DVD playback

  • Yes, but only with TrueHD tracks.

    Votes: 22 8.1%
  • Yes, but only with Dolby Digital Plus tracks.

    Votes: 12 4.4%
  • Yes, with both TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus.

    Votes: 39 14.4%
  • No, I have no audio sync issues at all.

    Votes: 186 68.6%
  • Other. (Please explain.)

    Votes: 12 4.4%

Do you have audio sync issues (esp. with TrueHD) on Xbox 360 HD DVD playback?

40K views 146 replies 55 participants last post by  BuGsArEtAsTy 
#1 ·
May 28, 2007 EDIT:


Basically all the significant sync issues with discs I purchased before the Xbox 360 HD DVD Update came out have been fixed. However there is a new one...

The Matrix is out of sync.



Reports are that it's also out of sync with the Toshibas.


Some from Microsoft had said that The Matrix had been tested, but I guess this was overlooked.



-------


So, my brand new Xbox 360 HD DVD drive setup has audio/video synchronization issues, at least with certain discs and audio tracks.


I only have one TrueHD disc, Batman Begins, and it's with that track that I notice it the most. Actually, unless my eyes and ears deceive me, it seems like the audio lags the video (instead of the other way around, which is what is often reported with other hardware).


Could the Xbox 360 be lagging in audio because of the requirement of decoding TrueHD and then re-encoding it DD5.1 is too much via software? Is decoding TrueHD harder than decoding Dolby Digital Plus? I also wonder if I'm getting slight audio sync issues with other DD+ tracks, but if there it's pretty minor.


I have NO audio sync issues whatsoever with anything else, including 360 gaming, 360 DVD playback, WMV trailers on the 360, two DVD players (including one progressive scan one) with either DD or DTS, or my HD PVR.


My setup:


My Toshiba CW34XC2 34" widescreen CRT and Kenwood VR-510 receiver are hooked up to all my components through a Zektor HDS4.1 component & digital audio switcher. The Zektor is hooked up to the receiver and the Xbox 360 both via optical. ie.


DVD 1 (480p) --> Zektor

DVD 2 (480i) --> Zektor

Xbox (1080i) --> Zektor

PVR (1080i) --> Zektor


Zektor --> TV + receiver


Do you also have sync issues, and if so, with what? I note that others have noticed lip sync problems with TrueHD as well, but with different discs (like Constantine ) and on Toshiba standalones. I don't see many reports of this problem with the Xbox 360 setup, but I wonder if that's just because it's so new.


Is this a hardware issue, an HD DVD disc issue, or both?

EDIT:


The lag IS definitely there with Dolby Digital Plus tracks too. It's very mild, and I suspect most people wouldn't notice it, but it's real. I see/hear it on Batman Begins DD+, King Kong DD+, and Pitch Black DD+ tracks. I have to pay very close attention to see it, but I'm now 100% convinced of it.


Either my receiver/setup is lagging with decoding 640 Kbps DD, or else Microsoft's implementation of audio output synchronization needs some more work.
 
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#27 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by MSpeed6 /forum/post/0


the hd add on is having all kinds of problems with sound, just check the hddvd player forum. DD+ sound tracks sound awful.

I'm not sure I 100% agree with those posts. DD+ --> DD definitely sounds different from TrueHD --> DD. However, if you turn up the volume, some of the differences go away, since it seems some of the difference is due to the volumes. I think I still may prefer the TrueHD --> DD mix over the DD+ --> DD mix, but overall, I think both are reasonable.


Lip sync problems are a much bigger issue IMO, but YMMV.
 
#29 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by MSpeed6 /forum/post/0


pop in a SD dvd version of king kong, blows the hddvd version away.

I have SD King Kong. The mix is definitely different, and I might prefer the SD DVD's track, but I wouldn't say it blows it away once you adjust for levels.


But then again, I'm probably not the best to judge, since I don't have my subwoofer connected at the moment. P!sses off my neighbours too much.



Either way, that's a completely separate issue. Even if there is something wonky about the DD+ --> DD mix, it's an issue that doesn't concern me that much, at least with my current subwoofer-less setup.


The lip sync issue concerns me much more, and there is that whole other thread about KK DD+ --> DD transcoding on the 360 anyway.
 
#30 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by eps3 /forum/post/0


I noticed significant lip sync problems with "grand Prix" hd-dvd. To my eyes and ears the voices are delayed compared to video. It was so noticeable to me that i thought i was watching a dubbed foreign film. I can understand, however, how many would overlook it if they were not paying close attention.

I've watched Grand Prix and didn't notice a problem. That said, it was the first HD-DVD I watched and I might not have been attuned to the problem. I've since watched Firewall and also didn't notice audio lag. But that movie was so extraordinarily bad I may not have been paying close enough attention to it.
 
#31 ·
I was watching Mission Impossible 3 on the HD-DVD add on, and my wife noticed that the audio slightly lagged behind the video. I exchanged the movie for a new one thinking the disc was defective, but apparently it was not. I didn't notice any lag with King Kong, but I will take a closer look later.


I have my 360 hooked up via optical audio to my samsung receiver, which ouptuts 5.1 digital surround sound.


Hopefully another dashboard update can resolve this issue.
 
#33 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by efjay /forum/post/0


I contacted amirm and this issue is being looked into.

Good to know he's aware. BTW, Ghent in the Xbox HD DVD thread also mentioned they were looking into this, and was looking for information on people's setups.


Quote:
Originally Posted by PRETTY E /forum/post/0


I was watching Mission Impossible 3 on the HD-DVD add on, and my wife noticed that the audio slightly lagged behind the video. I exchanged the movie for a new one thinking the disc was defective, but apparently it was not. I didn't notice any lag with King Kong, but I will take a closer look later.


I have my 360 hooked up via optical audio to my samsung receiver, which ouptuts 5.1 digital surround sound.


Hopefully another dashboard update can resolve this issue.

It's of note that Mission Impossible: III has a Dolby Digital Plus track. TrueHD tracks (on other discs) may be worse (or not).


Which TV?


---


These are some TVs that lag for video playback. Thus, these TVs may mask the audio lag issue of the Xbox 360 HD DVD.


IGN: HDTV Lag Report


Samsung

Samsung LN-S4051D LCD HDTV

Severe lag in 480i, 480p. Game Mode doesn't help much.


Samsung HLR-5087, 50" widescreen DLP

Lags even with DNIe off. Bad with 480i, 480p.


Samsung HL-R5064W 50" DLP HDTV

Gaming Mode doesn't help, horrible.


Samsung HLR5067WX/XAA 50" DLP

Serious lag with 480i, 480p no lag.


Samsung HL-P5085W DLP

Heavy lag on S-Video and Composite.


Samsung SP-46L6HX


Samsung DLP HDTV, Model #HLR5067WX/XAA Version:pW01


Samsung HL-S4266W

Even in 720p


Samsung 32" LCD TV LE32T51


Samsung HL-R6168W DLP

Very bad lag with component. Reduced with VGA.


Samsung DLP 5078 models


Samsung HL-S5086W

Very minimal lag with Gaming Mode.


Sharp

27" Sharp Aquos HDTV/HDMI

Lags in: Prey, Oblivion


Sanyo

Sanyo Vizon 26-inch


Westinghouse

Westinghouse LTV-27-w2 27'' LCD

16ms response time blurs, lags with standard RCA, no lag with component, even in 480i.


Polaroid

Polaroid FLM-323B 32"

Lags with the Dreamcast via Composite.


Sony

SONY KD-SR50XBR1


Dell

Dell 32 inch LCD (W3201C)


JVC

JVC AV-48WP74 48'' Rear-projection CRT


InFocus

InFocus 61'' DLP
 
#34 ·
I notice the problem on KK. I have a brand new XBOX connected to a Sony Bravia 40" LCD XBR1 by component + stereo audio. It's subtle. I don't think my regular DVDs played on the HD DVD player have the audio sync problem. Also, why is the volume so low on both types of DVDs? I have to crank the TV volume for DVDs and then tunr it down when I play games.


On a positive note the HD DVD player plays my DVD-R single and DVD+R dual layer discs fine. The built in drive does not recognize my Verbatim DVD+R DL media.
 
#35 ·
I'm having audio lag issues as well (about 1/4 sec. behind visual), but it seems to be regardless of whether I select TrueHD or Dobly 5.1. It also occurs regardless of whether I'm using the digital optical connection or the normal red/white composite audio cables. I called 1-800-4MY-XBOX, but they hadn't heard of the issue.
 
#36 ·
The most painfully obvious way to detect the lag is to watch one of these scenes from Batman Begins: 1) the third to last chapter where Bruce is hammering the nail (you'll hear the delayed bang as he's lifting the hammer), or 2) the very begining of the credits where the words "BATMAN BEGINS" pop up. (The music is supposed to start at the exact moment the words appear, not right after.)


These became all the more apparent when I compared the Batman Begins non-lagging DVD to the HD-DVD. Grrr....
 
#37 ·
So... So far over 20% of voters have the audio lag issue. This is huge.


For the record, I tried clearing the disk cache as someone suggested, but it did absolutely nothing to fix the lag. Some people have claimed it fixed their video stuttering, but even if it did work for that, it's a different issue.


I have an extended return policy (for Xmas) on this HD DVD drive. If the audio lag issue isn't fixed by the beginning of January, I will likely return it.
 
#38 ·
I havent run into that problem..

Ive seen king kong, last samurai, house of wax, so far everything is cool and tons of sd-dvds.
 
#40 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by cap_167 /forum/post/0


Not to sound ignorant, but how do you bring up the title menu for batman begins because the menu that pops up is one on the bottom and that doesn't allow me to pick the audio options, btw this also happens to me while playing V for Vendetta.

? The menu on the bottom has a settings option that allows you to select the audio track.
 
#43 ·
Hmmm...


When I play the picture-in-picture special feature of Batman Begins, there doesn't seem to be any audio lag for that.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew67 /forum/post/0


I rented Aeon Flux from Netflix. This disc has both DD Plus and DTS soundtracks. When I play either soundtrack, it's converted to dolby digital. Shouldn't it pass the DTS soundtrack through?

No. It decodes it, adds in the player sounds, and then re-encodes it to Dolby Digital for output.
 
#47 ·
If it was not for the hammer banging scene...I would not have noticed this. But the hammer is definately out of sync with the sound....BUT in all the closeup scenes moments later...I swear the lips are in sync....also the music does start exactly when the words appear.


I have now watched the scene multiple times with Holmes right after the kiss where they have a closeup of her mouth talking ...it looks perfectly in sync to me!


Weird....
 
#48 ·
I just bought batman begins last night. Watched it with the TrueHD track on. No sync Issues.
 
#49 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Star56 /forum/post/0


If it was not for the hammer banging scene...I would not have noticed this. But the hammer is definately out of sync with the sound....BUT in all the closeup scenes moments later...I swear the lips are in sync....also the music does start exactly when the words appear.


I have now watched the scene multiple times with Holmes right after the kiss where they have a closeup of her mouth talking ...it looks perfectly in sync to me!

Yes, the Batman Begins hammer banging scene (at the end, with about 14 minutes left in the movie), seems the most obvious. Could it be this scene is off on the disc? Or is it just because it's the easiest to notice with its very fast movements and quick sounds?


I think it's the latter, but I haven't repeatedly watched this scene so I'm not 100% sure. The reason I say it may be the latter though, is because when I first noticed this issue, I found it very hard to notice with certain dialogue if it's off very slightly, but the more you watch the more you begin to notice it.


BTW, what I've also noticed... If I just the let Batman Begins play from the beginning non-stop, there is minimal problems in the audio sync with the DD+ track. If it's there, it's minor. However, sometimes when I skip around the disc or start changing the audio tracks, I get the lag. And it's always the audio lagging the video. Furthermore, sometimes when I skip around some more, the audio gets back very close to sync.


I'm starting to wonder if it's not really TrueHD that magnifies the audio sync problem. Perhaps it is switching to TrueHD that causes the problem. Cuz once or twice now I've noticed that DD+ loss of sync was just as bad as what I had previously noted with TrueHD.


Oh and just to confirm I'm not psychotic and imagining everything...



It was so bad that my GF commented on it. I put on Batman Begins and just let it play. I thought I saw a very slight audio log problem but she didn't notice anything... However, we missed the dialogue of one scene because of background noises in my house, and skipped back to start the chapter over again. Immediately the loss of sync was obvious, and my GF said it was like watching a cheap dubbed foreign movie.
 
#50 ·
Hmmmm...I think the hammer scene is slightly off as encoded on the disk....if I watch the frames just preceding it...where he throws the planks down...the sound of the planks hitting match perfectly...then the hammer scene is off...then the lips are perfectly in sync!


I also wondered about the effect of skipping around....your report confirms my suspicion that any lag effect is made worse by skipping around rather than playing through.


In any case...on my playback...eveything looks fine with the exception of the hammer. I strained to see a lip sync issue ( I am sensitive to this issue in general) and couldn't find one.
 
#51 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Star56 /forum/post/0


Hmmmm...I think the hammer scene is slightly off as encoded on the disk....if I watch the frames just preceding it...where he throws the planks down...the sound of the planks hitting match perfectly...then the hammer scene is off...then the lips are perfectly in sync!

You could be right. I'll have to check that out again later.

Quote:
I also wondered about the effect of skipping around....your report confirms my suspicion that any lag effect is made worse by skipping around rather than playing through.

Much to my GF's annoyance, I tend to RW every so often on my movies.


Maybe that's one reason I notice the sync issue more than others.
 
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